Kiln bottom



Dec. 27, 1927. 1,654,481

c. E. FULLER KILN BOTTOM Filed Nov. 22, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 M; W io-ineg Dec. 27; 1957;

C. E. FULLER KILN BOTTOM Filed Nov. 22, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,Dec. 27, 1927. 1,654,481

' c. E. FULLER KILN BOTTOM Fiie d Nov. 22, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 18 i6 g 2X Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUD E'FULLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO YORK BRICK HANDLING CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK. I

KILN BOTTOM.

Application filed. November 22, 1926. Serial No. 149,883.

Mypresent invention relates to kilns, and more particularly to an improved kiln bottom for use in building a kiln thereon preparatory to burning brick,

In building kiln according to present day practice, it is necessary whether or not the major portion of the kiln is to be built by mechanicalmeans, to build the bottom by hand. The building of the bottom of the kiln necessitates building fire box openings with the fire boxes in the rear thereof and extending the fire boxclear across the width of the kiln. This is slow and costly work and must be destroyed when the kiln is pulled down after the burning operation and because of the intense heat in the fire box proper, the spoilage of brickis so great that in actual practice, but Very few of the bottom layers of the kiln are salvaged.

It has been attempted to obviate some of the objections in this method of building by building the outer faces of the kiln bottom as usual and attempting to fill in the space between such faces with units of brick placed therein by mechanical means. There is, however, a considerable amount of hand work necessary to be done even when thisproc-edure is adopted, as the top courses of the unit of brick must be pulled in order to enclose the space over the fire box or fine which extends across the Width of the kiln. The usual width oft-he fire box is so greatapproximately 1-6that several of the upper courses of the bottom unitsmust be pulled in order to bridge this space across the fire box. Further, the height of the fire box has heretofore been relatively small, with the result that the heat of the fire is so intense on the brick in the lower courses that the wastage has been exceedingly high. In my present invention, I have attempted to obviate the objections to prior methods of building kilns and have devised a permanent kiln bottom, in which the labor of pullin the jet bricks to span the space at the top'of the firebox has been materially reduced. As a matter of fact, the Width of the fire box in my new kiln bottom is approximately 8 as compared with the former width of 16". Obviously the number of jet brick required to be pulled to span the space of 8 is materially less than would be required to span the space of 16. Further, I have, in order to avoid the wastage of brick through overmerly occupied by four of the old type of arches. This is of particular importance, especially in View of the fact that the tendency of the up-t-o-datev manufacturer is to increase the height of the setting of the kiln and this height is limited only by the ability of the bricks in the bottom of the kiln to withstand the crushing effect of the heavy load imposed upon them by the increased height of the-kiln. Otherwise stated, I have in my new form, more brick per square foot to sustain the load than withthe old, type of setting, and'as the setting has now reached a height of ninety courses of brick in place of fifty courses formerly employed, I am able to sustain this load with less breakage in the bottom due to crushing.

Another advantage of my construction is that with the high units used, I am able to have a greater number of openings in the arch to permit the heat to travel into the kiln than with the old type arch,thus rendering'itless liable to over-burn the brick, which was caused by the heat being confined in the arches, and this condition is also relieved by the fact that there are now five fires on each side of the kiln for the same work that was formerly required of four fires, thus making it possible to burn the kiln without forcing the fires, as has been heretofore necessary. r

In carrying out my invention, I provide a permanentmasonry. construction on each side of the width of the kiln and running length-wise of the kiln, such masonry construct ion having a fire box permanently built therein and with the fire box interior faced preferably with fire brick to prolong the life of the structure and make the space between the masonry construction equal to any desired number of units of brick. In building the kiln, the space between the faces or masonry construction will be placed therein I prising the device will appear as the descrip by mechanical means and a minimum amount of hand labor is required to pull the jet brick to bridge the top of the arch of the fire box, which fire box will, as in prior structures, extend across the width of the kiln. kiln is built then in the usual manner, the masonry structure above referred to jutting out a sufficient distance to form a support and provide a seal for the portable scoving described and claimed in Patent No. 1,5 18,- 794- granted to me August 4, 1925.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is an improved'kiln bottom.

Another object of my invention is an i1nproved permanent bottom for brick kilns.

Still another object of my invention is an improved combined permanent bottom and fire box for brick kilns.

Other objects and novel features of. the construction and arrangement of parts com tion of the invention progresses.

In" the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation;

' Fig. 2 is asectional side elevation on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan View;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line 414 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation on the line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a sectional side elevation similarto Fig. 2 but with the units of brick in position and showing the entire width of the kiln;

Fig. Sis a perspective View showing the brick arches, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the construction at the entrance of the fire box.

tically the width of a unit of brick and forming part of such masonry is a structure 15 and the space of the fire brick opening 11 is extended through the structure 15 to form a fire box 16, said walls of such fire box being lined with fire brick 17. Referrin to Fig. 4: it will be noted that such fire ox 16, in addition to being the same width as the opening of the fire box 11, is equal to the height of the structure 15, and referring to Fig. 8, it will be noted thatthe upper The portion of the structure 15 and fire box 16 is bridged. by members 18 spaced apart to define slots or grooves 19, the purpose of such grooves or slots 19 being to allow the heat from the burning material in the fire box 16 to ascendand pass upward through the kiln. The face 10 is provided with a rabbet 20, on which rests the lower edge of a portable scoving 21, manufactured according to my patent above referred to, and which rabbet acts as a seal to prevent loss of heat through the grooves 19. The structure 15 with the facing 10 is, as above described, equal substantially to the width of a unit 22 of brick, and such facing 10 and structures 15 are spaced apart any desired distance to define the outer limits of the width of the kiln. v

Referring to Fig. 1, it is obvious that such facing 10 and structures '15 are spaced apart a width equal to the width of six'units of brick 22 and the space between the structure 15 may,'therefore, be filled with the units 22 of brick, the width of such units of brick coinciding substantially with the distance between adjacent fire boxes 16. When the units of brick 22, therefore, are built in position between the structures 15, there will be a space extending across the width of the kiln equal to the width of the fire boxes 16, and in order to close the top of such spaces between adjacentunits of brick, the upper course or courses of each unit will be drawn outward, so as'to span the space between the adjacent unit. Because of the relatively narrow width of the space between the adj acent units of brick that is, because of the comparatively narrow width of the fire box 16, but relatively few brick in the upper course of each unit will have to be pulled out; VJ hen the top layer of jet brick of the various units 22 in the bottom of the kiln have been pulled out, there will extend from one side to the other of the kiln a firebox of uniform width and height and having at each end a fire box opening 11. It is to be understood of course'that the height of the structure 15 and the facing 10 is equal substantially to the height of the unit of brick 22. When, therefore, the bottom layer of units 22 are in position between the structures 15, there is formed a substantially level even platform on which to build the kiln, such platform having above the fire box 16 and a continuation of such fire box between adjacent units 22, a plurality of spaces 19 and the spaces formed by the jet brick of the units 22, and through which spaces may. pass" the heated air or flame from the fire Within the fire box. The kiln is now built up in the ordinary way by mechanical means or by hand, if desirable, until the proper height is reached, after which time the portable scoving 21 is placed in position in the rabbet 20 of the facing 10 and'while the use of seal- Inn ing material is not ordinarily necessary, a plaster sealing material may be used in connection with the scoving 21 and rabbet 20.

The kiln having been built as above described, it. is obvious that the fire will be built in the fire box 16 and that the heat from such fire will ascend through the openings or slots 19 upward through the units of brick 22 and will also pass along the continuation of the fire box 16 between adjacent units of brick and thence upwardly through the jet bricks of suchunits into the units of bricks placed thereon. being confined practically to the fire box 16 and such fire box being lined with fire' bricks 17, there will be little danger of any of the brick in the kiln being exposed to such intense heat as to cause destruction of any of the brick being burned. Therefore, the wastage or loss of brick from this source which has heretofore been a serious item of expense is eliminated in the present construction. Also, I believe that the use of a permanent arch arranged to act as a fire box with the setting of the brick to make a con tinuation of the arch is entirely new and I wish to claim the same. broadly.

Furthermore, the arrangement of a permanent foundation structure in accordance with my present invention permits me to easily, quickly, and readily build an entire kiln by mechanical setters, practically eliminating hand work which was heretofore necessary and the most expensive part of the construction about the arches; thus, also, I may remove the burned brick by mechanical means, leaving the foundation and arch construction thus immediately ready for a succeeding kiln. My present novel invention results in a much higher efiiciency in number, quantity and proportion of merchantable brick burned in my present type of kiln, and, eliminates entirely the danger of over-burning brick at the arches, thereother Wall, a sealing ledge or rabbet on the front upper surface of each wall, temporary filling comprising units of brick to be burned located and filling the space between the walls, and said unit of brick being arranged with opposite faces in alinement with the fire boxes.

2. An improved kiln bottom comprising a pair of walls spaced'apart from each other the width of the kiln and extending throughout the length of the kiln, permanent fire boxes arranged at intervals along each of the walls, a fire box in one wall being opposite a corresponding fire box in the other and opposite wall, a plurality of units of unburned brick arranged in the space between the walls and arranged to define with the fire boxes in said walls a continuous fire box extending throughout the width of the kiln, the top layers of each of the units -of brick being pulled to form a perforated opening for the top of the fire boxes, the top surface of the units of unburned brick lying in the same horizontal plane as the top s'ur-- CLAUD E. FULLER. 

